scorpio1988may

both turkey and morroco are good - in morroco it was more discrete but i found it's more open in turkey (it's never been illegal there since ottoman times since islamic law is vague about it so any ruler can interpret anyway they want - ironically in most places a bigger taboo is sex with women.
most of these places gay sex is very common (and more accessible than hetero sex) even though it's frowned upon (as is masturbation!)
- next trip i'm planning is pakistan - the men there are amazingly hot and i've heard gay sex is widespread - i'm doing my research on best places and approaches (sadly it's one of the few muslim countries without hammams) so it's a bit trickier unless you're a local

i've been there 3 times (first time was in the 1980s - when it was a military dictatorship and hyperinflation and no tourists - now it gets like 50m visitors)
last time was feb 2020 and the transformation has been incredible - still not as developed as western europe but better than the east with great subway and public infrastructure
the city core is very walkable so any comfortable / affordable hotel is good - i've stayed in different areas and found Taksim a bit loud with a lot of bars
as a lone male i never felt unsafe - but i did attract touts offering hook ups with women or inviting me to a bar - just ignore them and travelling extensively i know to always ask prices up front including from cab drivers
the sites are amazing - i love history and architecture and ephesus and cappadocia are not to be missed (in the 80s i saw families still living in the caves that are now $200 a night hotels!)
food is good and incredibly cheap and if ur looking for other diversions the younger guys are super hot - dress nicely and are fit and well groomed (odd but most men over 35 are pudgy and had a receding hairline - like they've just stopped trying)  
 

i'm indian living in the west - 2 main reasons for lack of indian escorts - extremely strong family links and tight-knit social circle so it would be devastating if word ever got out and bring shame to the entire family who would be shunned by everyone and second reason very few of us are hot - we're lean untill our mid 20s then suddenly we turn to flab. also homosexuality is reviled in india and people are forced into marriage or kicked out and if word gets out are frequently killed - so there's a lot of fear among the immigrants as well
btw i loved that book about the mumbai slum - the only correction is that "slum" is india's middle class - true slums are much worse